Oliver and Clark disagree over how to end the threat of Doomsday. Meanwhile, Lois and Tess go head-to-head, Jimmy tries to locate Chloe, and Davis finds himself unable to control the Beast within even with Chloe's presence.

Recap

Rokk Krin, Cosmic Boy of the Legion of Super Heroes, travels back from the 30th century to visit Clark atop the Daily Planet. Rokk warns Clark that he’s risking a change to the time stream, possibly eliminating his own future. However, he explains it’s necessary because Clark has disappeared from the future. When Clark saved Chloe from Brainiac, he also saved her connection to Doomsday. Since Chloe tried to kill Davis with kryptonite and only made him invulnerable to it, the monster no longer has a weakness for Clark to exploit… and he dies fighting Doomsday. Rokk gives Clark a new Legion ring and says he needs to use it to send Doomsday to the future where the Legion will take him on. Clark insists on handling the matter and wonders how much time he has, and Rokk tells him that the next day is the day that history says that Clark dies...

Lois: Clark, I haven't slept in days and I am dangerously close to a caffeine OD.Clark: I hadn't noticed.

Clark: Sometimes we can't outrun our destiny.Lois: But I thought you were invincible.Clark: So did I.

Oliver: You never wanted to admit it... but there is a darker side to humanity.Clark: I know there is. I'm looking at it right now.

Lois: Jimmy, you stepped on my hand.Jimmy: Next time, don't leave your hand on the floor under a desk in an office you're not supposed to be in.Lois: I'm sorry--did I just get a lecture from Jimmy Olsen?

Clark: Jimmy...Jimmy: No, I'm not buying it. That whole "you're here one second and then you're not"? You took a bullet, and the next day you were fine. I mean, it's like you're some kind of super.... guy.

Clark: This place, Chloe, just get rid of it. Just walk away and don't look back.Chloe: You don't get it. Clark, Jimmy is here. He's watching over me. He knew me so well. He knew this place would be perfect. Jimmy wanted to know that, no matter where I was in the city, I could look up here and see this beacon. The Watchtower.

Clark: I've always tried to forget I was an alien or a creature. I've always tried to pretend I was human. I was raised to believe it was my Kryptonian part that was dangerous, Chloe but I was wrong. It's my human side. It.. It's the side that gets attached, the side that makes decisions based on emotions. That's my enemy. And Davis proved that to me.

Cultural References

Lois: How do you feel about phone booths?

This is a classic internal reference to one of the oldest elements of the Superman mythos. Back in the forties, public phone booths used wood-paneled sides, and thus, offered a measure of privacy in spite of being in fairly public places. Hence, one of the places in the comic-books where Superman changed to Clark Kent and back again was one of these ubiquitous "privacy stalls". Over time, public phone booths became glass-walled, which virtually negated their possibility for use in this manner, and that culminated when even the sides were largely removed for the kiosk-with-side panel designs used from the 70s onward (which was used for an excellent visual joke in the 1978 Superman movie). Since that time, phone booths were switched from phone company operated devices to devices leased from the phone company (COCOTs). With the steady infusion and availability of cell-phones, their purpose, and presence, in the USA has become increasingly uncommon.

Episode References

Clark's letter to the people of Metropolis:

You have welcomed me into your city and allowed me to make it my home. I will always be grateful for that. Which is why I cannot leave without saying goodbye. This newspaper has made me into what you think I am – an example, a symbol, a "hero." But the truth is, I'm simply one of you. The only difference is that my days in the shadows and my nights on the streets have allowed me to see what you've lost sight of – the good in each of you. I've seen regular people do extraordinary things. I've seen you help each other up after you've been knocked down. I've seen you stand together when times are tough. And I've seen the smallest act make the biggest change. If I've done anything right, I hope it's help you realize one person can make a difference in the lives of others – that Metropolis doesn't need a hero. Have faith in yourself, and you will find hope in each other. Remember, it's not the mask that makes he hero. It's the choices we make and the desire to do what's right. I've seen that desire in all of you. It inspired me to promise I would do everything in my power to protect this city – but I can't promise that I'll be around forever. One day, there may be a fight I cannot win. But if that day comes, please, keep fighting without me to make the world a better place. Be the heroes I know you are.--The Red-Blue Blur

Analysis

When Clark sees Chloe after the funeral, when he shows up at the Watchtower, he's wearing the same funereal black -- and renounces being Clark Kent and being human, it's one of the rare times we see him in something other than red and blue, most likely a foreshadowing of things to come, and also an echo of sorts, as to the "Death of Superman", killed, in a sense, and unexpectedly, by the human part of Doomsday.